New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-06-08
The GERMAN ARMY IN SOCIETY

THE GERMAN ARMY IN SOCIETY
The Ar1stocratic Privilege Enjoyed
by tho Commanders of the Pruss1aa
soldiers.
An American who has just come back
from Germany treated several of us the
other evening to avery interesting mon
ologue on the German army in German
society. When late in the sixteenth
century Europe began to awake from
feudalism she did SO very slowly, and
almostregretfully. Some of the worst
features of the feudal regime remained,
and remain even to this day. They
may present themselves under a new
aspect, assume guise less shocking to
the modern eye. but they are essentially
the same as they were four or five hum
dred years ago. In Prussia the com
mon soldier gets for three years SER
wee his board, which is. to express it
mildly, very plain and frugal Besides,
he gets a remuneration of 20 ptennig
- cents per day. A young lieutenant
after graduating at five or six classic,
polytechnic, and military schools, is en-.
titled to salary OF $50 marks, or S37,
q month. He is expected to provide for
his uniform, and, if he is cavalry of.
ficer, for his horse and servant. He
has little expense in procuring ser.
want, for any common soldier thinks
himself happy to get :; position as an
officers servant, with So or 81 month.
A lieutenant from about 25 to 20 years
old can not expect to be raised to the
next highest rank, which is that of cap,
tain. before attaining at least his th4r.
ty-sixth year. Besides, it is always
morally certain that every young ofic-
er has to spend four OF five years in an
out-of-the-way garrison in some pro.
vincial town. Nevertheless, it is fact,
proved by statistics (the favorite sci
ence of Bismarck), that the number OF
young men DESTROYS to become officers
in the army increases steadily year af
ter year. i.
Now, how is this to be accounted for?
Only one reason can be given for it,
but that is ample. Every young man
who enters the army as candidate for the
citizenship, in SO doing joins himself to
the aristocracy Of the land. His uni
form opens to him the way to the high
est circles of society. At all court
festivals he is introduced into the pres
ence of the king or kaiser, as the case
may be. He is invited to all the great
banquets, for which, however, he
is obliged to pay his share. Thus it
often happens that ourglieutenant dimes
on several courses Of airy but very ex.
pensive dishes, and after feasting on
truff1es and champagne goes to cheap
restaurant to quiet the cravings of his
stomach with leberwurst and saurkrout
Every German off Ger, from the beard.
less lieutenant still in the habit OF
chewing candy to the gruf- voiced ma
jor, hopes to make Ills fortune by
marrying the daughter of a rich parvenu,
And it is fact that nine out of every
ten do succeed. There is no shorter,
surer. and, as far as the young marri-
ageable maiden is concerned, no more
agreeable way of becoming part Of the
elite than the marriage with an officer,
a young one if possible, but even an
old one rather than none at all. The
art of Irritation is an accomplishment
deemed absolutely indispensable in ev-
cry officer. Flirting is the young lieu
tenants second nature. He firts in
the salon, in the theater, on the prom
enade. Only dueling is his great pas
sion. By the rules of of the corps he
is obliged to accept any challenge COM
ing from persons not below him in
social standing. The favorite duel Of
officers is the combat of swords, so
called after the long and broad swords
used. In this duel the fighting par
ties are half-naked-i. e., the upper
half Of their bodies is exposed. II an
officer is caught dueling he is arrested
and nominally sentenced. But he new
Ell thinks of taking this seriously. If
he refuses to accept challenge his fell
low-oficers compel him to leave the
army.
1t is treat to watch a young leu
tenant while he is drilling his men. He
has four or five corporals to assist him.
His chief occupation is to stand mo-
tionless but in threatening attitudes in
the midst of the new soldiers. He very
seldom says anything-that would be
directly sacrificing his dignity. When
ever some unlucky recruit or other tries
to rouse himself to due appreciation
OF the glories of the soldiers life, and
the corporal uses liyelier Ian guage than
usual, our lieutenant frowns. It is sell
dom. very seldom. that more is needed
to set all thin IS rightin a second. But